Iraqi PM calls on Kurds to cancel independence referendum result
None
Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi demanded on Wednesday that Kurdish authorities "cancel" the outcome of the independence referendum in northern Iraq, as a condition for dialogue to resolve an escalating crisis.
In a speech to parliament, Abadi renewed his ultimatum to Masoud Barzani's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to hand over control of international airports by Friday or face a ban on direct international flights to the Kurdish region.
People in northern Iraq voted overwhelmingly in favour of independence in Monday's non-binding referendum. Any idea of secession is bitterly opposed by the governments in Baghdad, Turkey and Iran. The United States pressed Kurdish leaders to call off the poll.
"We won't have a dialogue about the referendum outcome," Abadi told parliament. "If they want to start talks, they must cancel the referendum and its outcome."
